I’m still trying to come to grips with the fact that I’ve just spent three hours watching one of the dullest NASCAR Cup races I can remember. All this week the press has been hyping the new track surface and in the pre-race show they talked about the new progressive banking in the turns, which, they predicted, would make for side-by-side racing.

While there might have been some side-by-side racing, it certainly wasn’t for the lead. Whatever the official lead change count comes out to be, I only counted three competitive lead changes: Kahne was passed by Edwards, who was passed by Kahne (who then led about 200 laps), then Edwards passed Kahne. Sure there were other leaders and lead changes, but those happened either under caution or during green-flag pit stops.

It seemed to me that Bristol still only has one groove, albeit a higher one than before. All the passing took place on the outside line. You know you’ve got a dull race when the TV network broadcasting it shows the battles for 13th and 17th with less than 15 laps to go. Edwards and Kahne both stunk up the show.

I guess I’m finally about finished with NASCAR, at least on the national level. They’re slowly putting the Saturday night short tracks out of business by continuing to have Cup races on Saturday nights. And this mess with the AT&T sponsorship pretty much seals the deal for me. When the TV announcers call a blank car “the AT&T sponsored car of Jeff Burton” then what’s NASCAR and their nameless (at least by me) telecommunications sponsor gaining by preventing the logos on the car? Nothing.

I’d meant to watch the Truck and Busch races this week, but with the Truck race on Wednesday (which doesn’t make any sense) I just completely forgot about it. And the Busch race was on Friday night; I had better things to do.

NASCAR is slowly losing their base audience, the one that got them to where they are today. To paraphrase a great president, I haven’t left NASCAR; NASCAR left me.